


Pained Truth

by GrapeGodPerson



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Complete, Other, Some strong language but like only like 3 times, emotional abuse i guess, gabriel sucks and is getting what he deserves, hinted ships from like every angle, im not that good with tags if you cant tell, its not that big of a deal honestly, no clear ships, you choose which ship you want to happen honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-05 01:51:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16358384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrapeGodPerson/pseuds/GrapeGodPerson
Summary: After Queen Bee got akumatized, Adrien does some thinking and comes to a horrifying conclusion.His father might be Hawkmoth.





	1. The Date

**Author's Note:**

> I was bored and thinking "hey, they know miraculous holders can be akumatized, what if they start suspecting Gabriel again."
> 
> Look, I know Adrien isn't really the brightest in the show, but it's not as interesting if Marinette figures it out first. 
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

He couldn't get the thought out of his head, no matter how much he tried. No matter how much his lungs burned from breathing in the cold air caused by the latest akuma attack. Though Frozer wasn't as difficult to deal with as other villains, and their new powers certainly helped, but that didn't really stop the cold from affecting him, but compared to what ran through his mind, the cold was nothing. 

Ladybug was sure something was bothering her partner. The usually wise-cracking Chat Noir seemed so upset, in fact, he's been somewhat somber since they fought Queen Wasp, though whatever he's upset about is affecting him much more now.

She wanted to say something, she wanted to help him in any way she could, but the beeping of her earrings and his ring forced her to put her priorities straight. She turned around, ready to make her leave, but Chat grabbed her arm before she could.

“Wait, m'lady, I need to talk to you. It's really important.” His eyes were sorrowful. She really didn't want to leave, but another beep of her earrings convinced her otherwise.

“I can’t, we're about to transform back. Can this wait until next time?”

He lowered his head. “No. How about this, we meet up at the Eiffel Tower at 7 tonight. It's just… I really need someone to talk to.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Sure thing kitty.” 

He let go of her hand and left. Hopefully she'll be able to help with what he's going through. She ran off and transformed back into her normal clothes. 

“Oh, Tikki, I don't know what to do. Chat Noir seems very sad lately. What if I can't help him? Or worse, what if he's still upset about the rose?”

Tikki giggled. “Don't worry Marinette, I'm sure he asked you because you can help, and I doubt he would want to ask you about relationship stuff if he likes you.”

Marinette smiled, Tikki always knew what to say when she was worried. “You're right. I can do this.” She hid Tikki back into her purse before running back to the ice rink.

Luka was waiting at one of the benches. Adrien was sitting with Kagami. She took a seat by Luka, removing the ice skates and padding. She stole a glance at Adrien and Kagami, who were deep in a conversation. Though she felt kind of bad about seeing her dream boy with another girl, her mind was still hung up of Chat. 

And before she knew it, she making her way to the Eiffel Tower, prepared for anything her partner had to say.

When she got there, he was already there waiting for her. She half expected for him to have set up candles and flowers but instead, he sat there, wrapped in a blanket, eating from what looked like a bag of cookies, and a drink beside it.

His back was turned to her, but he could hear her footsteps. “Thanks for coming.”

She sat down next to him, swiping a cookie from the bag. “I told you I would.”

He smiled to her, wrapping part of the blanket around her, then looking back to the city. Normally he would probably try to flirt with her now, and the situation should have felt romantic, but it wasn't. Nothing about this felt romantic, no matter the closeness, or the beautiful view. Something about the atmosphere just felt wrong. 

Ladybug knew this little talk wasn't going to be easy, but her idea was very different from what was actually happening. Instead of a long and hard conversation, they said nothing. They just sat there, taking in the view of the city, and somehow that felt worse. 

Something was bothering Chat to the point where he didn't feel like himself anymore, and as much as she wanted to help him as fast as possible, she knew she couldn't rush him. He had to go at his own pace, and if that meant calling her there for a quiet evening, then so be it.

They stayed quiet for about an hour until Chat let out a soft hum. “The city is beautiful, don't you think?”

“Yeah, it really is.” She leaned onto him, stealing another cookie.

“Sorry for calling you out here.”

“You don't have to apologize. I'm glad to be here, especially if you need someone to talk to.”

He chuckled. “Not much of conversation though.” He picked up his drink and sipped away at it. He lowered it after a few seconds and bugged it to her. “You want some?”

She let out an airy giggle. “Sure.” She took a sip of it. A chocolate milkshake. This boy really likes his sweets. She handed it back to him and he set it down.

They went silent again. Enjoying the sounds of the city below. She snuggled closer to him, but he tensed up. She looked up, noticing his cold expression, until he let out a sigh.

“Ladybug, do you remember when Gabriel Agreste was akumatized?”

She blinked confusedly at him. Definitely not what she expected him to be upset about. “Yes, why?”

He turned away from her, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms and chin on them. “Well, at the time, we suspected that he was Hawkmoth. All the signs were there, until he got akumatized. We ruled him out after that, since there was no way we knew if a miraculous holder can be akumatized. But then Queen Wasp appeared, and now I can't stop thinking that maybe we were right the first time.”

Ladybug suddenly sat up, the realization hitting her hard. He was right, miraculous holders can be turned, so Gabriel was still a suspect. 

Chat continued. “The moment we suspected him, he got akumatized. It’s too convenient.” He tensed up again, more than before. He spoke in a harsh tone. “What if he is Hawkmoth.”

Ladybug recoiled a bit, surprised by how cold his attitude was. “If he is Hawkmoth, then we'll stop him.” She placed her hand gently on his back. He relaxed a bit, becoming somber again.

“Then what?”

“We'll figure that out when we find out.” She leaned on him again, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled a bit, leading his head on hers.

“What do we do? Do we find evidence?” He asked softly.

“Maybe we should talk to Master Fu about it first. After all, he is the guardian.”

“Okay.” He closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness. “When should we go?”

“Is tomorrow good?”

He lifted his head from her, and she looked up at him. “Sounds perfect m'lady.” He smiled to her, finally looking like himself again.  
_____

The next morning, Marinette woke up feeling tired. Staying out until 10pm wasn't the best idea, but she also felt relieved. Seeing Chat happy again was worth it. But something about last night still bothered her.

Why was is so upset about Gabriel being a suspect again?  
_____

Adrien woke up feeling the same as always. After sneaking out of the house all the time as Chat Noir late at night, he's gotten use to being out even past 3am. 

No one really ever noticed, but it's not like anyone in the house really paid any attention to him. Not that he cared much anymore. Sneaking out really did give him a sense of freedom. Being Chat has given him a thrill of life that he never had. But what would that mean now?

What will happen if Gabriel really is Hawkmoth? Would he still be Chat? And what will happen to him as Adrien if his father truly is the villain corrupting the city? Would he still be free?


	2. The Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir meet up with Master Fu, but it seems that their "date" on the Eiffel Tower wasn't enough to bring a certain kitty out of his bad mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, chapter 2, ugh, I really don't know how long this is gonna be. It was suppose to be short and stuff, but we don't always get what we want.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

School went like it always did. Marinette stared at Adrien the entire time, earning some snarky comments from Alya. But how could she not watch him?

He was perfect. The definition of perfect. She could watch him all day. Every beautiful part if him. Everything from his hair, his eyes, his… smile?

He wasn't smiling. Normally he would have the most perfect smile, but today was different. There was no smile, in fact, he looked sad. She had never seen him this way, but something was… familiar? But not to him. Actually, she recognized that look. It reminded her of…

The bell rang, snapping her out of her thoughts as she watched Adrien get up and leave. Strange, he seemed eager for something. Maybe he had something to do after school? Which reminded her, she had to meet up with Chat.

She quickly gathered her things, rushing to get to a private place to transform. She and Chat agreed to meet on the roof of the school, and she's been looking forward to it all day, though she would never tell him that. He already has enough ego and confidence.

She got to the roof, and once more, Chat was already there. She was hoping he would he happy like the previous night, but it seemed like last night didn't even happen. Though he did perk up a bit when he saw her.

“Hello m'lady, are you ready to go?” He stood up, bowing at her.

“Yup, let's go kitty.” 

They wanted no time, running over rooftops, watching the traffic go by under them. Ladybug didn't know whether or not Chat knew where Master Fu lived, but she figured this was a good reason to take him.

They traveled quietly, Chat was back to being mopey. Ladybug didn't want to press on the matter at the moment, they had more important things to worry about. Though she would definitely ask him later about it.

When they arrived, Master Fu was welcoming as always.

“Tell me, what has brought you two here?” He asked handing them cups of tea.

Chat looked away. “Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth.” He said coldly. 

Ladybug’s eyes went wide, then she giggled nervously. “Well, we aren't sure, but Chat made a good point when he figured that just because he was akumatized, doesn't mean he still can't be Hawkmoth.”

“That is true. Thanks to Queen Bee, we now know miraculous holders can be akumatized.” Fu said, stroking his beard. He turned to Chat who continued to avoid eye contact. “Thanks to you Chat, we have a suspect again.”

Chat gave a small hum of agreement. He seemed worse than yesterday. 

Ladybug moved closer to him. “Are you okay?”

He hummed again.

The room grew to an awkward silence. Master Fu cleared his throat. “Well, we need evidence to prove he's Hawkmoth, and though I don't like the idea of you two searching his house, stopping Hawkmoth is our main goal. Please, be cautious.” 

“We will.” Ladybug stood confidently.

Chat stood uninterested, finally making contact with Fu, who gave him a sympathetic look. Ladybug may not understand, but Fu knew exactly why Chat was acting odd. 

Just as they were about the leave, Fu pulled Chat aside. Ladybug figured it was a private talk, instead turning her attention to the different artifacts around the room. 

Fu made sure to whisper quiet enough so Ladybug couldn't hear. “I'm sorry about this Chat, I know it must be hard to think he could be Hawkmoth, but if he is, we need to stop him no matter what.”

“What if he is? What happens after that?” Chat stifled a sob. The last thing he needed was to break down now that they've gotten so far. “What will happen to him? What if I can't bring myself to fight him? What will happen to me and Ladybug after we defeat him?”

“Slow down. You're thinking to hard about this. We don't know if he is Hawkmoth yet.”

“But he is our only suspect. He's the only person we know who it could be.” He tensed up, making right fists. 

“It will be okay. No matter what happens, we will all be here with you.” Fu pulled him into a comforting embrace, holding him tightly as if he was going to lose him. But he wouldn't. He would protect the two young heroes with his life, just like they've been protecting Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy my dudes. Comment and construction criticism is very much appreciated.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	3. The Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat and Ladybug must get their allies for their mission. Chat has a less than enjoyable conversation with Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like how Chloe was acting, dont worry, she wont stay that way. Stuff's gonna happened, and I know I probably shouldn't spoil stuff like this, but I know that I get really annoyed when characters I like are written like this. I do actually really like Chloe, so just hang in there.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

The two heroes opened the door to leave, when they a nervous voice.

“Wait!” Master Fu said. They closed the door and walked back to him.

“Is something wrong?” Ladybug asked.

“I don't want you two to go alone. Maybe you should take you allies with you.”

He walked over to the record player, entering in a code. Chat watched his every move, being quite surprised when the player revealed a box within. Fu brought the box to Ladybug and she took both miraculous on the top case. Master Fu handed her his own miraculous. Something about the box caught Chat's attention.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing to an empty area.

“That is where the missing miraculous of the peacock should be, but it went missing along side the butterfly miraculous.”

“Oh, okay.” He stared a while longer, an uneasy feeling setting in the pit of his stomach. 

“If something does happen, I want you to be able to protect yourselves. Please, be cautious.” Fu said.

Ladybug and Chat nodded, making their way to the roof.

“Alright kitty, I'll get Rena and Carapace. You get Queen Bee.”

“Okay,” Chat mumbled, trying to avoid eye contact, “Good luck.”

He took the bee miraculous and ran off. Ladybug wanted to ask what was wrong, but decided it was an issue for another time. He went to her with his other problem, but maybe this was too personal, maybe she shouldn't interfere. She instead followed his lead and looked for Nino and Alya.  
_____

The two love birds were easier to find than she thought, but unfortunately, they were together. She found them in the park, throwing coins into the fountain. She didn't have time to wait for them to separate, so hopefully they wouldn't mind their date being interrupted. 

Ladybug swing through the air, landing in front of the couple. 

“Ladybug!” Ayla exclaimed, face lighting up. Nino simply smiled thoughtfully. He's always been a bigger fan of Chat than her, but he loved both heroes. 

Ladybug frowned slightly. “Can I speak to you in private? Both of you.” 

The couple looked at each other and nodded. 

“Sure thing dude.” Nino said.

They followed her to a quiet alley. Marinette remembered how important it was to keep their identities secret, but unfortunately, they couldn't afford that luxury right now. She turned to them, holding out her hands to them, handing them both a miraculous.

“I need both Rena Rough and Carapace now. I'll explain everything.”  
_____

Chat hopped onto the balcony of Chloe's room. Knowing her, she liked to relax at home after school, and not much could change her schedule. It didn't take long to find her, laying down next to the pool of the roof. 

He approached her quickly, and before she even noticed his presence, she shoved her miraculous in her face.

“Here, we need you.”

She sat up, startled but quickly composing herself again. “What are you doing here?”

“Like I just said, we need you.” He deadpanned. He really wasn't in the mood to be patient with her today, but obviously it wouldn't be easy.

“If you needed me, then Ladybug wouldn't have sent her side kick.” 

“You know what? The sidekick is gonna find a better Queen Bee.” He turned to leave. If she was going to be a brat, he might as well mess with her. 

She ran after him. “Oh come on, give it to me. We have better things to do, remember?” She climbed onto his arm, keeping him from leaving.

Oh, he was gonna make her earn her place. He wasn't mad about being called a sidekick, and they didn't exactly have time to joke around, but this was probably the most fun he was gonna have all day, and he was gonna savor it. He looked back at her, smirking mischievously.

“What's the magic word?”

“Seriously? Everyone knows it, it's ‘transform me.’”

“The other magic word…” He wasn't actually surprised it wasn't her first answer.

She let go of his arm. “Oh Chat Noir, could you give me my miraculous, please?” She somehow looked like she was pain saying it.

“I didn't hear very well…”

He leaned into her, hand to his ear. She growled, yelling at him.

“PLEASE!”

He tossed the miraculous to her, smiling triumphantly. She somewhat earned it. Chloe eagerly transformed, grinning as she stood in her hero suit. Once she was ready, they took off, jumping across the rooftops to the coordinates Ladybug sent him.

“So why do you need me!”

He slowed to a stop on the roof of the school, she followed behind him. All the fun of earlier was gone, and the reality of the situation set in again.

“We know who Hawkmoth is.”

“What?” She practically screamed. “Who?”

Chat let out a deep breath. “Gabriel Agreste.” Saying it still hurt. 

Though Chloe didn't seem to notice. “Pff, no way. Adrikins’ dad can't be Hawkmoth.” He cringed slightly at the nickname. “Why would you think that?”

“I found the book of the miraculous in his house, so me and Ladybug sort of assumed he must have been Hawkmoth, but then he got akumatized, so we ruled him out.” He started down at the edge of the roof, looking out at the city. “But then you got akumatized as Queen Bee. He's a suspect again.”

“Well, who are your other suspects?”

“We don't have any others.”

She sat down next to him. “Wait, you have no other suspects? And we're just gonna go break into his house and look through his things? Having a book isn't a lot of evidence.”

“He also has the missing peacock miraculous.” He trembled slightly. This was starting to be too much for him.

“How do you know?”

“I saw it behind the painting of his wife.”

“Why do you know so much…”

“Enough!” He raised his voice, standing to his feet. “We're going to stop him, so stop asking questions and stay focused!” 

Queen Bee stood up, slightly chuckling at his attitude. “Oh, I didn't know the sidekick was running things now.”

Chat merely huffed, choosing to ignore the comment and continuing to make his way to his house. Chloe reluctantly followed behind him. 

She knew she was being harsh with him, and it didn't really make her feel good. She never really cared about making others feel bad, or insulting them, but Chat was different. He was one of her heroes, and though she has teased him in the past, something felt slightly different. He wasn't fun or flirty today, and normally she wouldn't care, but after become a hero herself, nothing has felt normal.

“I'm sorry.” She whispered quietly, hoping he wouldn't actually hear her.

He did, but he wouldn't push it. This was probably the nicest thing he would get from her, at least for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, Chloe has a strange way of showing her appreciation for her heroes. 
> 
> Comments and construction criticism is very much appreciated.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	4. The Painting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group of heroes get to the Agreste house, but it seems like Chat Noir wants to be the one to lead this mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its finally here. Chapter 4 is here my dudes!!! It took me a while to write since I wanted it to be good, but it is done. This chapter is now my second fav, 1st is chapter 1, but I feel like next chapter might bump it down. Its gonna be crazy.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

By the time Chat and Queen Bee arrived to the roof of the Agreste house, the three other heroes were already there waiting for them. 

“Took you two long enough.” Ladybug stood as she saw them approach. “Did you explain everything to her?”

Chat nodded, looking out at the garden of his house. There was a statue of his mom, the one his father was always looking at.

The one that Hawkmoth was always looking at.

Maybe his father was the reason she left.Maybe, it was his fault after all.

“Okay, we should start by checking the perimeter of the house.” Ladybug said, visible off put by Chat’s behavior, hopefully it won't affect the mission. “We need to find any evidence that we can.”

“No.”

Everyone stiffened, all looking at Chat who continued to look down at the garden. 

“We're going to the vault behind the painting of his wife.”

Before anyone could argue, he jumped off the roof, entering the house through an open window.

They all followed. The room the entered was large, with a bed in the back, and pool table, a rock climbing wall, etc. Adrien's room. 

Marinette had always wanted to be in his room, but for once, Adrien came second in her mind. She instead ran up to Chat, whispering harshly. “What are you doing?”

“I'm trying to stop Hawkmoth, just like you.” He answered bluntly, opening the door to his room, leading the way to his father's office.

“I get that part, but why aren't you listening to me? You run off before I can say anything to you. You're constantly looking away. Now you're going against me?”

He turned to her, glaring somewhat sharply. “I've done everything you've told me so far. I met you at the roof, I got Chloe and told her everything she had to know. I've done my part, like I've always have. Every mission, I follow your orders, even though I don't have to. I've let you lead every other battle, so if you don't mind, I'd like to be a little more than just a sidekick this time.”

Ladybug halted, shocked by Chat's harsh words. The others seemed surprised by his outburst as well, seemingly keeping their distance from the duo. Chat walked away from the rest of the group, continuing to make his way to Gabriel's office area.

He wasn't worried about running into his father. After his little appearance at the fashion show, he was spending slightly more time outside then normal. Even if he was home, what was he going to do against 5 super heroes.

He slowly opened the door to the office, making sure to not make any noise. His father may not be home, but he wasn't completely sure if Natalie was. Thankfully, up on entering, he saw a complete empty room. 

He remembered the last time he was there as Chat. Paintings and statues were thrown across the room, including one of his childhood pictures. Everything was orderly this time, but he couldn't care less about the rest of the room. He eyed the painting in the back. He always loved that painting of his mother, but he wasn't sure how much he would love it now.

The others entered slowly behind him. Unlike Chat, they had no idea that the house was empty. 

“Hey dude, do you think it's a good idea to be in here?” Carapace asked, hiding slightly behind Rena. Hawkmoth or not, he was still a bit scared of Gabriel.

Chat looked back for the first time since entering the house. “No one is home, we'll be fine.” He looked at the painting again, staring at the face of his mother, the face he missed sorely. 

He traced his hand over it, slowly moving to the edge of the frame. He took in a deep breath before pulling on the side. The painting moved to the side, revealing the vault.

Chloe pushed her way passed everyone, staring at the vault with her mouth wide open. “You were right. How'd you know this was here?”

“Doesn't matter.” He moved passed her. “What matters is that we get in there.”

He raised his right hand. “ Cataclysm!” His powers activated, disintegrating the vault door as he touched it.

“What are you doing?” Ladybug asked.

“Getting into the vault.”

“But now you'll transform back in 5 minutes.” She nodded to his ring, which began to beep.

He looked down at it, making a fist. “This won't take long.” He looked into the vault, finding exactly what he was looking for.

The peacock miraculous, sitting there completely undisturbed. He picked it up carefully, noticing a slight crack in it. 

“Here.” He said, handing it to Ladybug.

“Is this…?”

“Yup.” He continued to dig through the items, handing her the book of miraculous as well. He found some plane tickets, and a picture, but nothing else that could be used as evidence. The others began searching the rest of the room, looking behind the other pictures the found, mostly of Adrien. 

He huffed, slamming the painting of his mother shut. He traced his hand over it again, wanting to feel the details. His father said the book was that thing he had of her, but Adrien only had pictures. Images that would remind him of good times, when their family was happy. 

His ring beeped again, startling him a bit, making him press slightly into the picture. He gasped as he pushed into it. It was a button. He stared at his hand, pulling it away. It was just like the music box that Master Fu has. He pressed his hands on the painting again, looking for more buttons. 

Nino seemed to notice, running up to Chat. Adrien moved a bit to the side, letting Carapace look for buttons with him. Eventually they found ten, pressing all of then at the same time. Instantly, the sound of mechanisms could be heard underneath their feet.

A secret passage opened, leading down under the house. 

“We found something.” Nino announced, even though they were all alerted to the noise. 

Rena moved to Carapace’s side, looking into the passage. “Where does it go?”

Chat squinted down at it, kneeling to get a better look. “There seems to be a basement of some sort.” His night vision seemed to make out a room, but he really could see much from that view. “I guess we'll just have to find out.” He jumped into the passageway, sliding down to the bottom.

He could hear the others protest, but he ignored them as he looked around the room. It was round, with what looked like a circle built into one side. He turned around. The back wall had a door. 

He called to the others. “There's a room down here, but there's nothing here aside from a door. Come down.”

Queen Bee was the first to jump down, followed by Ladybug, Rena, and Carapace. They stumbled around the room. Chat chuckled, remembering that he was the only one who could see in the dark. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to call them down.

He walked to the door, opening it without a problem. In an instant, the room was flooded with light. He entered the other room, the others followed closely, finally able to see. The room was long, and somewhat resembled a church. There seemed to be something in the very back. 

“What is this.” Rena asked, holding onto Carapace's arm. “Some sort of memorial?”

Chat moved quickly to the midway point of the room before coming to a complete stop. His eyes widened in horror as stared ahead. The others walked up beside him, stopping as they saw too. Chloe gasped, raising her hands t her mouth. Rena,Carapace, and Ladybug stared with wide eyes. 

The all walked slowly together, closer to the large cryo-pop, centered in the back, surrounded by rose bushes.

Chat placed his hand on the glass, feeling tears starting to stream down his face. “Mom?”

Another beep of his ring echoed through the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOHOHOHOHO, well, oof, next chapter is gonna be wild. Hopefully this came out good, I really like how it turned out.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	5. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything finally falls into place, and Adrien isn't holding back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cant believe it took me this fucking long to write again. I'm so sorry about taking so long, I just sort of lost motivation for literally everything. I'm writing again, but let's just hope it stays that way.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

I took forever for Chat Noir to realize his mistake. He had said that out loud, around the others. He stiffened, a nervous and somewhat scared look crossed his face. Keeping his identity secret was the first rule, and he broke it. He turned to the others, hoping they didn't hear him, but from their wide eyed, speechless expressions, he could tell it was too late. This mission was going to be the end of him.

“Adrien?” Nino said, barely over a whisper. He stepped forward a bit, trying to comprehend even a little of what was happening. 

The others couldn't move. It was as if the entire world had just stopped. Time was frozen and Adrien was caught in the middle of it. Carapace could only barely move, trying his best to comfort the cat themed hero. 

When Nino was finally at arms length of his best friend, he carefully embraced him, hugging him tightly as the situation finally crashed down on Adrien. His mother was always there, under the house, now she was close enough to touch, nothing but thin glass separating him from her. He went so long thinking that his mother had just left one day. That she didn't care anymore. That maybe he was the reason, but that was never it.

It was always his father. 

And speak of the devil. They jumped when they heard the sound of the mechanical entrance opening once more. Ladybug was still in too much shock to move, forcing Rena to take the lead. 

She took hold of Marinette's hand. “Come on, we need to hide.” She pulled her to one of the large rose bushes, jumping behind it for cover. Marinette came back to her senses, following Alya, as everyone else did.

Marinette and Alya peered over the bush, trying to get a view of the situation. Nino continued to comfort Adrien while Chloe still took the time to let her thoughts settled.

They sat in silence, listening to the sounds of someone walking around when suddenly, the walking stopped. It was eerie, Adrien was sure his heartbeat could be heard by everyone. For him, it felt like time still hasn't moved, not even budging a bit. His ears pounded with the sound of his heart, a sensation of fear rushing over him as Ladybug and Rena quickly pulled back down. The steps had begun again, getting louder and louder. 

When they stopped again, no one moved a muscle. The steps ended right in front of the cryopod, leaving everyone in a state of panic. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, and as confident as they were at the start, they really were just kids. Kids who were giving too much responsibility to take care of.

Suddenly, the steps continued again, getting softer. They were walking away. Nervously, Ladybug peered over the bush. It was still too dark to see, allowing her to see nothing but a silhouette walking out of the room, leaving the door to the next room open.

She kneeled back down, nodding over to the door. They all nodded back, slowing and silent getting up, moving toward the other end of the room. 

Adrien took another look back at his mother. She was expressionless, not giving any idea of what he should be feeling. He forced himself to look away, nothing but determination powering him now, that and another feeling he couldn't quite describe.

They hid at the entrance of the doorway, hoping to see anything. Adrien was the only one with night vision, but part of him really didn't want to see. 

‘But that's why we're here’ he thought to himself, ‘to find Hawkmoth and stop him.’

It was as if the world was teasing him, making so only he had the ability to solve this. The others waited, hoping something would happen, but no matter how much he wanted to just run away and pretend he saw nothing, that unexplained feeling pushed him to finally open his eyes.

And standing right in the center of the room was exactly who he thought it would be. The person he hoped had nothing to do with this. No matter how much evidence was point all signs to him, Adrien wished the universe would grant him this one request. But the universe never really was kind.

His father stood in the center of the room, shrouded in darkness as he called out into the silence.

“Nooroo, dark wings rise.” 

A flash of light appeared, giving the others only of glimpse of the situation, and it was all the information they needed.

Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth.

The room lit up as a large panel opened on the wall, revealing a window, allowing the light of the sun set to paint the room in a dull, orange light. 

Ladybug squinted at the sight of him, trying to think of a plan to take him down once and for all. Nino held Ayla in his arms, clearly frightened. Alya wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her. Chloe stood on the other side of the doorway with Adrien, still quiet after his accidental reveal. 

Adrien stared endlessly into the room flooded with butterflies, holding his breath for what felt like eternity. His mind was clouded by all kinds of emotions.

Sadness because his own father was the villain terrorizing the city and all his friends.

Shock because it really was him.

Happiness because they could finally save the city.

Anxiety because saving the city meant having to fight him.

And the feeling that was just about boiling through him. 

He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch a hole through a wall, destroy all the barriers that kept him from living a normal life. Most importantly, he wanted revenge. 

In an instant, he took in a sharp breath, letting that feeling take complete control. A feeling of complete, unfiltered rage. He felt as if flames were consuming his entire body. He was nothing but a ticking bomb, all he needed was someone to pull the trigger.

And through the quiet darkness, his ring let out a loud echoing beep. 

Everything happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, Chat Noir sprinted into the room, giving Hawkmoth no time to react as he turned around, only to allow the cat hero to rip the butterfly miraculous right from him collar.

He fell back from the force, transforming back into Gabriel. He sat up, glaring angrily at the heroes as the gathered to Chat's side. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

“So,” Chat said coldly, keeping his head down, “you're Hawkmoth.”

Gabriel let out a deep growl. “How did you find me?”

Chat stepped forward, completely ignoring Gabriel's question. “All this time, it was always you.” He chuckled. “All this time. You always said you were too busy.”

“What are you-”

“All this time, I thought she left. That she didn't care anymore.” Chat continued to approach.

Gabriel began to move back, crawling slowly away as Adrien towered above him, shadows covering his face as he held nothing back.

“Did you care? Did you ever care? Was everything just a big game for you!? IS THAT WHAT THIS WAS!? A GAME!? AND EVERYONE WAS JUST ONE OF YOUR PAWNS!?”

He stepped forward, heaving sharply as his eyes began to water. 

“PARIS!? ME!?” Gabriel looked up to him in fear. Chat looked as if he was going to murder him. That is, until he finally lifted his head, looking his father straight into the eyes, revealing large streams to tears falling from his face. “MOM!?”

The fear in Gabriel's face fell, leaving leaving a second of confusion, quickly replaced by bewilderment. He finally spoke, quiet and forced. “A-adrien?”

The last beep of his ring went off, as a flash of green light left him back in his normal clothing. Plagg appeared beside him, mouth hanging completely open and wide eyed as he took in the situation. 

The room grew quiet, nothing but the sounds of Adrien's sniffles and heavy breathing. All the focus was on him, just like it always was. As the son of a famous fashion designer, and a model, privacy wasn't something he could get easily. In the eyes of the world, he was perfect. He had to be. But right now, one of the rules mattered. 

Finally he broke the silence again. “Was anything you ever said real?” His voice was softer, but still carried a harsh tone. “Did you ever love me or mom?” Or was that just part of whatever plan you had?” Adrien took as step back, turning away from Gabriel as all his rage died out, leaving all his miserable thoughts behind to consume him.

He made his turn to leave, causing Gabriel to spring to his feet. “Adrien wait!”

He reach for him, resulting in Adrien flipping his father over his shoulder. As Gabriel hit the ground, Adrien released him. He closed his eyes tightly, a sharp pain pulsing through his head. He could hear footsteps followed by Chloe crying out “Adrikins!” 

He slowly opened his eyes again, only to find Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Carapace glaring down at him. Not to mention a small cat-like creature. The Kwamii of Chat Noir.

Plagg looked at him sorrowfully. “You know, part of me wanted you to be Hawkmoth, just so Adrien could get rid of you and be with people that actually care about him; but the other part really hoped you weren't, just so he wouldn't have to deal with everything you put him through.” 

Without a response, Plagg flew away to Adrien, leaving Gabriel with the rest of the heroes. 

“Why?” Ladybug asked. “Why did you do it? Was whatever you fought for worth it?”

He said nothing, avoiding eye contact with the super heroine, only making her more angry.

“Was all this pain worth abandoning your son, hurting so many people, making everyone live in fear- did any of that matter to you?”

He looked up to her in disdain. “I didn't abandon him, I love him!”

Nino scoffed threateningly. “He doesn't look very loved.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe sorry for the wait again. Anyways I feel bad for doing this to my boy.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	6. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe helps Adrien through his feelings, but ends getting help for herself as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo yo yo, I'm here with another chapter. I don't have much to say, but this was fun to write for some reason. Hope yall like it.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

Adrien sat on his bed, his breathing uneven and shaky. Tears rolled down both his cheeks, leaving his face wet, puffy, and red. He stared down at his ring, looking over all the little details when he felt a hand on his back. 

He looked up slowly to see Queen Bee, her eyes full of sorrow and pity. He patted down next to him, waiting as she sat down next to him.

He let his eyes fall to the ground, staring at his shoes as she gently grazed his back with her hand. 

He flinched slightly at the gesture, finding the comfort to be uneasy. She noticed this, but had no time to say anything when he spoke first, his voice dry and empty.

“Why didn't I see it sooner? So many people suffered because of me.”

“Adrien, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known. None of us did.”

“Ladybug could have.”

“But she didn't.” Chloe moved her hand up to his hair, stroking it softly. “Look, it doesn't matter anymore. We won, it's over.”

“Maybe for you.” 

She momentarily paused, wondering what he meant by that. As she pondered, Plagg appeared, flying over to Adrien's lap. Somehow the sight of the Kwamii caused Adrien to look over to his own miraculous, then to his father's. It was like his emotions kept hitting repeat after every few minutes, since the sight of the miraculous caused him to break again.

“He never cared.” His eyes swelled with tears again, spilling down his already red cheeks. “I always thought he was busy with his work, that he couldn't handle my mom leaving, so he was coping by focusing on work. But it was all a lie.”

He felt so weak.

“She was down there the whole time. He had her, she was here and I never knew.”

Weak and fragile.

“This whole time, I thought she left because of me. Because she wanted nothing to do with me anymore.”

Just a sidekick who could crack at any moment.

“I thought she had a better life somewhere else.” He wiped the tears away, leaving behind cold, empty eyes. “What a stupid thing to think.”

Chloe had no idea what to say. Her best friend was going through the hardest thing in his life, and she could even respond. Though she took some comfort noticing his Kwamii looked equally at a loss for words, but both of them couldn't stand to see him like this.He was suffering, and they, as some of the most important people in his life, could do nothing but listen to his sniffles and uneven breathing echoing through the room. 

But it felt familiar to Chloe somehow. The quiet pain. The tears falling to the floor, and the feeling of darkness looming over her even though the sun was shining brightly through the window. 

It was all to similar. Maybe she couldn't stop the pain, but she could let him know he isn't going through it alone.

“I know how it feels. You know, a parent not loving you. It's not the same, but you know all the stuff with my mom, you know, thinking I'm worthless and all. But you can't let that hold you back.”

He met her gaze, the redness in both their eyes quite present. Adrien stopped trying to wipe his tears away as she let hers fall. 

“I know it hurts, but you have so many people that do care about you. Everyone at school, all of us. We all love you, and if your father doesn't, then he doesn't deserve your love.”

“She's right,” Plagg says, flying us to his cheek. “We all care about you more than you could imagine. We'll always love you.” The small Kwamii snuggled up to his face, the quickly letting go to shake off the tears that fell on him.

Adrien let out a happy chuckle, drying his face with his hand again. Finally his eyes didn't look so empty. 

“Thanks, I needed that.”

Chloe pulled him into a tight hug. “You're my best friend, Adrien. I know you would do the same for me.”

“I don't know what I would do without you. No matter what, you've always been there for me.”

“What are you talking about? You've always been there for me, even when I didn't deserve it.” She let go of him, looking away from him slightly embarrassed. “Marinette told me how you were the only one at school who wasn't happy when I left. Honestly, it feels like you were the only person who cared about me aside from my dad.”

She faced him again, smiling softly. “You make me feel like I'm worth something.”

Adrien's gaze saddened. He carefully took her hand into his. “Hey, of course you're worth something, you've always have been, even if you didn't know it.” 

Chloe scoffed. “Really? Like what? I haven't helped people, or make things or-”

“That's because you're thinking too big. We're just highschool students, not everything we do has to be big. And what do you mean you don't help people? You helped me by being there when no one else was, and I think you found out when you were leaving that you mean a lot to your father. And besides, look at you now, you're a hero. You've had your miraculous for less time than anyone, and yet it feels like you've done more than me.”

He laughed slightly at that last part, before realizing what he had said. Chloe looked at him with wide eyes, being equally shocked by his words. 

“Adrien?” Plagg said, watching his owner shift awkwardly. 

Chloe eyes grew skeptical. “What are you talking about?”

He rubbed the back of his head nervously before standing abruptly. 

“It's nothing. Look, I should get this to Master Fu.” He waved the butterfly miraculous up to her. “So you know, I'll see you later I guess. Claws out!”

He transformed back into his hero suit and jumped out the window before she could say anything or stop him. 

She looked around the room before sighing. She made her way to the door, glancing back to the open window before going back to Ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, these two are just angst hiding behind pretty faces. God, I really love their dynamic for some reason.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	7. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was now or never for Adrien. A moment for him to finally stand up for himself, to find himself, and to find what pushed him for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER!!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO TAKE SO LONG! AHHHHH I JUST GOT SUPER UNMOTIVATED WITH EVERYTHING. HECKING DEPRESSION! 
> 
> Oh gosh, again super sorry about the wait, but hey, its here now.

Adrien felt his lungs burn, but he had no plan of slowing down. How is it that one situation suddenly brought out all his insecurities? He had to shake out all his problems, right now, he was going to finish his mission. 

He zoomed over the rooftops, looking down at the cars driving under him. Little did all those people know that they were finally safe. No more Akumas, no more Hawkmoth, no more… heroes.

What use was a bunch of heroes without a villain?

______

Chloe joined back with Ladybug and the others. She had Gabriel tied up in her yoyo, preventing him from getting up to leave. 

“Queen bee, where's Adrien?” Ladybug asked when she noticed the other enter the room.

“He's gone. We can catch up to him later.”

Ladybug sighed, letting her shoulders drop a bit.

“What do we do now?” Rena asked.

“First, we call the police. Then we go after Adrien. For now, Carapace, you go to him.”

Carapace stood up straight, giving Ladybug a stiff salute, though the look in his eyes were soft and full of concern, most likely brought upon from his best friend.

“No problem dude.”

“Wait Carapace!” Chloe called out. 

“Yeah?”

“I'm worried about him. He ran off after saying that something about me doing more as a hero than him. He's letting all of this get to him, and he really needs his friends right now. I think he might feel unworthy of being a hero.” The look on her face clearly showed that she was genuine. No matter what he may have thought about her at school, Nino could tell she really did care about Adrien, even if she had a had a weird way of showing it.

Carapace simply smiled to her.

“I'll cheer him up as much as I can, but with everything that's going on, it'll be tough.”

“Just try.”

“Got it.” He took a deep breath and left. No matter what, he would always help his friends during their times of need. He knew Adrien would do the same.

______

Adrien was sat with Master Fu when Carapace appeared at the window. Adrien turned to look at him, his green eyes still wet with tears.

“You tracked me?” He asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

“Yeah.”

“You're alone?”

Nino nodded, making his way over to the boy sitting on the floor. He sat down next to him, giving him a light pat on his shoulder before pulling him into a side hug.

Master Fu handed Nino q cup of tea and sat down across the table from them.

“Hello Carapace. It is an honor to finally meet you.”

“Same dude,” Nino said, then finally realizing something. “Wait, who are you?”

“I am the guardian of the Miraculous. I use to be the owner of your Miraculous. I am glad that Ladybug has chosen such a great person to take over for me.”

Nino smiled widely, feeling a surge of pride within. 

“I'll make you proud, I swear!”

Master Fu nodded, and left the two boys to talk amongst themselves. Nino felt Adrien shift beside him, only to see him smiling at him, trying to hold back so laughter. Nino scoffed, giving Adrien a slight shove, causing the other to laugh. They both fell over into a giggle fit, continuously shoving each other. If only Paris could see two of their heroes, clad in super powered suits, untold powers, laughing on the floor like the kids they were.

Nino was the first to sit up, catching breath as Adrien release the last of his giggles. For the first time today, Nino saw his best friend with a genuine smile.

“Hey, you doing okay?” he asked.

“Well, other than the fact that my entire life is a lie, I'd say I'm good,” Adrien laughed dryly. 

Master Fu frowned.

“Adrien, I know this is very difficult for you, but we will all be here to help you. For now, let's take things one step at a time. Did you bring the miraculous?”

He nodded, handing it over.

“Thank you, Hawkmoth will never be able to hurt another innocent person.”

“What will happen to him?” Adrien asked.

“Ladybug called the police,” Nino said, leaning his elbow on the table. “They're going to arrest him most likely.”

“That's probably for the best, but that means it's probably going to be all over the news. Everyone in Paris will know my dad is a villain. And if they know, they'll want to know who else into the house was involved. I'm not sure if Natalie or my bodyguard knew, so they're probably going to question them and me.”

“Well no matter what happens, we're here for you bro.”

Adrien hummed, toying with his tail-belt.

“Thanks,” he said quietly. Looking over to the window, he tapped on Nino's shoulder. “We should head back now.”

Nino nodded, standing up. He out stretched his hand to Adrien, pulling him to his feet. 

“It was nice meeting you, Master Fu.”

“Likewise, Carapace. You are all a great team. The best I could have asked for.”

“Thanks Fu,” Adrien said. After one last look to Nino, they climbed out through the window, and made their way back to the Agreste house. 

They fell into a silence since they left Master Fu's, but Nino could tell from the look on Adrien's face that he wanted to say something.

“So you called the police?” He finally asked.

“Yeah bro, they'll probably be there by the time we arrive.”

Adrien hummed, they stayed quiet again, leaving an uncomfortable cloud over them both. The city bustled beneath them, filling the air with the sounds of cars and groups of people walking around. For a while, Nino felt like leaving the conversation at that, ignoring the discomfort and opting to listen to engines and voices, but he couldn't leave his best friend like that.

If he was going to help, he had to be up front and to the point. Adrien never was good with subtlety.

“Queen Bee talked to me before I left,” he started, making sure to keep a casual but caring tone. “She's worried about you.”

Nino almost stopped to look back when he heard no response, but continued after he heard a soft “oh” from behind him.

In a sigh of sorrow, he began again.

“You don't have to talk you don't want to, man. Just listen if you want.”

After another pause of silence, he figured he would just have to proceed without feedback.

“She thinks you might not think you're, well… worthy of being a hero.”

“...I'm not…” he whispered to himself.

“Huh?”

“I'm not!” the cat hero said more forcefully. “She's a great hero! You're all real heroes! You're noble, not selfish like me!”

The sudden confession almost caused Nino to fall straight on his face. He looked back to see the other in a state of panic and anger.

“Dude, what are you talking about?”

“You all want to save people,” he started, looking down at citizens passing by, completely unaware of the scene above them. “You all want to make the city safe.”

“Don't you!?” Nino yelled back, hating to see his best friend suffering so much. He clearly shocked the other, noting the quick change in demeanor, from closed off to somewhat comically surprised.

“Well yeah, but that's not my main reason,” he responded, sort of mumbled.

“Well I doubt Chloe's reason for being a hero is to save people. It's probably more about being the best. Sounds pretty selfish to me.”

“Yeah, but she wanted to save her father. That's more than I can say for myself.”

Nino knew Adrien was insecure and could get mopey every once in a while, but it was starting to feel like a soap opera. He sighed and pulled Adrien to a random rooftop, making sure to not be seen by any bystander.

“What are we--” Adrien began, but was quickly cut off the moment they landed and Nino called out “Shell off.” A flash of green light appeared as he detransformed out of his hero costume.

“Wait don't!” Adrien yelled in a state of panic, but fell silent at the sight in front of him. “Nino?”

“Yeah, it's me. Look, I know that with everything that's going on, it's hard to keep your mind focused on one thing, but listen dude,” he said, grabbing Adrien by both shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. “You're a hero, and so am I. Our reasons shouldn't matter because at the end of the day, we keep this city safe. Besides, you think I started off being selfless? I only became a hero because I wanted to save Alya. Chloe wanted to save her dad. Those are selfish too. We wanted to protect what we care about. What was your reason?”

“I wanted an escape… “ he responded. “I wanted freedom that I wasn't allowed to have as Adrien Agreste.”

Nino loosened his grip on the other's shoulders and pulled him closer, making sure to flash a reassuring smile. 

“Is that so bad?”

For the first time, Adrien truly did question that. Was it bad to be a hero for himself? He had spent so long imagining a hero as someone who fights for others, and only others. A hero wasn't selfish, a hero wasn't childish, and most of all, a hero was just like Ladybug.

“I don't know,” he finally said after so long, because the truth was, he didn't know. “Ladybug and Rena are--”

“Don't think about them! Think about yourself. So what if we all have our reasons to be heroes, that shouldn't change the fact that we're heroes, with all our flaws in all.” Nino's voice raised a bit higher. “If you think you aren't worthy of being a hero, then neither am I. But in my eyes, we both are worthy of this, you're worthy of this.”

For the hundredth time that day, the cat hero cried once more. 

“Thank you.”

They pulled each other into an embrace, staying together while Adrien sobbed into Nino's shoulder, this time, with no sadness behind it. He couldn't have dreamed of a better person to be at his side.

After a few minutes, Adrien's breathing evened out, and the last of his sniffling subsided. He slowly released his best friend, wiping the remains of tears from his eyes.

“I didn't think I would be getting so many pep talks today. I didn't want to drag my friends in all my issues.”

“Well, sometimes life just likes kicking you in the ass. I know if I have one of those days, you'll be right there for me too. We're all here by choice, and we choose to help you,” he laughed brightly.

“We should get going then,” he said, smiling back.

“Yeah, let's go.”

______

Ladybug looked around the layer, dark with the only light coming from the large circular window. The rays of light fell on the hundreds of white butterflies fluttering about the room. 

 

She sighed, rubbing at her neck to try and relieve some stress. Not only did they find out her crush's father is a super villain, Chat Noir turned out to be said crush. She knew deep down, if it wasn't for the circumstances, she would be ecstatic to know the person she loves turned out to be her most trusted ally.

Rena glanced over to Ladybug, aware of how tense she was. No doubt everyone was dealing with their stress in different ways; Adrien panicking, her boyfriend trying to stop said panicking, Chloe glaring daggers at Gabriel. And Ladybug trying to ignore it for the sake of her team.

She could really use a friend.

“Hey,” Rena said, approaching Ladybug. “Wanna talk? You look super stressed, girl.”

She softly placed her arm over the other's shoulder, letting Ladybug lean onto her for support.

“I am. Rena, what do I do?”

“I wish I knew. Today is stressful, we're all on edge.”

Ladybug kept her eyes on the window, refusing to look over to Rena.

“I know, it's just Adrien--”

“Hey,” she said, forcing the other to look at her by gently grabbing her face with her hands. “We got this. What Adrien needs right now is his friends, and that's us. We'll help him, but first…” 

She looked back to Gabriel still sitting on the ground, wrapped up in Ladybug's yoyo. He hadn't made a single move since being tied up. Adrien's reveal and outburst had completely left him in shock. He made eye contact with Rena for a second, before looking back down to the floor, acting like a kick puppy.

This only served to piss Queen Bee off more. She couldn't stand to see him act like a victim when his son had to go through so much because of his stupid decisions. Chloe looked over to Rena, who was now staring straight at her, as if she knew what was going on inside her head. 

Rena turned back to Ladybug, letting Chloe do as she pleased. Adrien was her only friend, and she would stand by him for anything.

“Why'd you do it? Why be a villain.” She asked him, the daggers in her voice quite clear and deadly.

“I only did it to save my wife, to save Adrien's mother.” He didn't look at her, but he knew the way she was looking at him. She hated it, he should have at least had the guys to look her in the eyes.

“You pushed him away!” She yelled. “Not only does he have face the fact that you, his father, is Hawkmoth. The man responsible for so much suffering, but he also has to deal with him mom having been down here the whole time.”

He spoke so quietly, Chloe almost missed his response. 

“I did it for both of them.” 

“Really? Because it seems like you did it for yourself.” She scoffed at him, finding herself unable to even look at him anymore. He eyes wandered over to the other two heroes on the opposite side of the room. “He's hurt, and you're to blame.”

He didn't say anything. He knew she was right, but didn't want to admit it. His wife is lifeless sleep, his son hates him, for good reason, and all the time and effort put in trying to bring his wife back was all for nothing. 

It wasn't long before the sounds of police sirens in the distance could be heard. Ladybug took in a deep breath and moved to Gabriel.

“Sounds like they're here. On your feet, it’s time.”

______

Chat Noir and Carapace landed on a building across the street from Adrien's house. Several cars were parked outside, some of the police, others of the news. Already, they could see Nadia interviewing one of the officers standing by the entrance of the gate, though the interview was cut short when the doors of his house were pushed open to reveal Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee, all walking defensively with Gabriel in the center. 

Chat huffed at the sight. He had never seen his father in such a humiliating way, being dragged out of his own house, hoarded by media and cops,not even trying to escape. Good.

He felt Carapace nudge him on the arm, noticing the others hesitation in moving forward.

“You got this, I'm here for you. We all are.” He made sure to give the best reassuring smile he had. 

Adrien nodded, imitating his smile, before jumping down and landing between Gabriel and the gate. The already buzzing media only crazed more, but were completely left in shock as Adrien called out “Claws in.”

Now standing as Adrien in front of all the eyes of Paris, he only felt more confident. There was no sounds coming from anyone, only the police sirens made any noise now. For some reason, he preferred the silence for this moment.

Looking in the face of his father, who wore the same expression as everyone else around him. Gabriel tried to move forward towards him.

“Adrien, what are you--”

“Stop,” he said, finally putting his foot down once and for all. “I want you to listen to me just for once in your life.”

Gabriel complied, stepping back again.

“All my life I tried to be the perfect son, I tried to be what you wanted me to be, do what you wanted me to do. I did all this just to make you proud of me, to love me, but it was never enough. I've felt alone for so long, but when i became Chat Noir, I felt freedom for the first time since mom was…” he paused, trying not to choke on his own words. “Being a superhero let me live, but it was at the expense of innocent people that you targeted. I wish that wasn't how I got my first taste of freedom, because of you hurting those I care about. I'd rather be stuck in this hellhole then let you hurt more people than you already have.”

Tears became to spill down Gabriel's face, now realizing that it didn't matter his reason, his son wanted nothing to do with him. He tried to reach out again, being held back by Ladybug and Rena.

“Adrien, I--”

Adrien turned away from him, his scowl clearly showing he had no desire to hear anything his father had to say.

“I'm glad mom didn't have to see what you've become.” He looked up to Ladybug, who nodded confidently to him. She smiled to her and nodded to the police. “Take him.”

Ladybug and Rena dragged Gabriel over to the gate letting Adrien move over to Chloe who had been standing to the side since they got outside. Carapace landed next to Adrien, giving him a somewhat rough pat on the back. 

“Good job dude, you finally stood up to him.”

He and Chloe pulled Adrien into a big hug. From there, they took one last look at Gabriel now sitting in the back of a police car. Adrien instead focused his attention on Ladybug and Rena, who rushed over to join the hug.

The all laughed together, relief washing over all of them. They didn't doubt images of them hugging like that were going to appear all over the internet, the new team seemed to love it.

Nino poked Adrien's cheek, trying to get his attention.

“Hey, you good?”

“Yeah,” he said with a goofy grin. “I'm good.” 

Slowly, they released from the hug, though still sticking close together.

“Hey, what happened to Natalie and my bodyguard?” He asked, having forgotten about them until now.

“Oh,” Rena said, “They're being held for interrogation. We don't know if they were involved or if they even knew about the situation. The police also wanted to talk to you, but I think they know you're not involved.”

She smirked at him, glancing down to his ring, then back to his face. 

“I guess everyone knows your secret identity now.” Nino said.

Adrien hummed, aware that the camera crew were still focused on the group of heroes.

“Doesn't matter,” he said. “It's over now. Besides, Chloe doesn't have a secret identity and she's doing just fine.”

“So, we don't have to be heroes any other either, huh?” Nino asked, toying with his bracelet. They all looked over to him, unconsciously reaching to their own miraculous.

“Guess not.” Rena said. “Man, and I was really starting to like it.”

“Same dude, but honestly, it's good to know Paris is safe.”

“Wait!” Chloe suddenly said. “Just because Hawkmoth is out of the picture, doesn't mean we have to stop being heroes, right?” She looked sheepishly over to Ladybug who could only offer a sorrowful smile. She sighed, knowing that was a no. “Fine.” 

She destransformed, making a move to remove her miraculous, but was stopped by Ladybug. Chloe huffed.

“Well, what now?”

Ladybug smiled to her, then over to the rest. 

“Now, we celebrate. We won.”

She took a few steps forward towards the cameras, speaking to the people of Paris.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” She turned back to the heroes, giving them a thumbs up. “Spots off!”

A flash of pink light came and went. When everyone looked to their Ladybug, the camera crew could only gasp, however the heroes seemed to be in more of a panic. Nino only stared, mouth and eyes completely wide. Rena fell to her knees, repeating something on the lines of “she was my best friend the whole time, how did I not see it.” Chloe looked as if her brain had completely shut off.

Adrien looked as if he was trying to connect the dots in his head, sputtering complete nonsense before finding his ability to talk again.

“Well, I feel stupid. Of course you're Ladybug.” He face palmed hard, leaving a red mark on his forehead. Marinette blushed furiously, finding herself as a shuddering mess. 

In the complete chaos, Rena shouted, getting everyone's attention.

“I'M THE WORST REPORTER EVER!” She buried her face into her hands and detransformed.

Chloe was starting to make completely indecipherable noises of confusion, all while only hit himself in the face again.

“Now I feel stupider!”

Nino doubled over laughing, gripping onto Adrien's shoulder as to not fall. 

“Don't worry, I felt the same way. Shell off.”

He was the last to detransform, though Chloe almost passed out after seeing him. Adrien helped her regain her balance again, letting her steady herself with his arm.

“Are you okay? Do you need water or something?” He asked, trying not to laugh.

She coughed out some giggles, then took in a deep breath.

“I think I'm good, but just don't let go.”

He didn't, letting her hold onto him for as long as she needed as they stood completely exposed to the world. Everyone could see their faces now, everyone knew who they were, and everyone knew they stood before them victorious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tonight we are victorious!
> 
> I was gonna make Adrien more shocked about Ladybug's reveal, but at this point, so much had happened that his brain was sort of lagging behind. 3 hours after all of this, his brain catches up and he starts hyperventilating. Chloe on the other hand is just the equivalent of that one Lisa Simpson meme. You know the one. This is the last chapter in this story line, but there is going to be an epilogue to show how time has passed. Dont worry, I wont take so long to post it. Sorry again.


	8. The Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end and the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small epilogue for our boy. So much has happened, but now he can look forward to the future. Thanks for everyone who stuck through this til the end. It was a lot of fun to write.

-1 year later-

“Hey guys, are you ready for the history quiz?” Alya asked, taking a bite out of the macaron Marinette had brought to school.

Chloe almost choked on hers, causing her go into a coughing fit. 

“There's a quiz today!?” She said when she finally stopped coughing momentarily, though she was still bent over, hitting her fist to her chest. Adrien chuckled, patting her back.

“Adrien! You're my best friend, mind helping me cramb study before class?”

“Sorry Chloe, you know full well he's my best friend,” Nino teased, resting his arm over Adrien's shoulder.

She glowered at him.

“Well, technically we're brothers now, Nino.”

He was about to retort but then realized Adrien was correct. After the mess with Hawkmoth, Nino's parents decided to adopt Adrien into their family, so they were technically brothers. 

“Oh, yeah.”

“Ha, I win! Adrien is my bestie!” Chloe said, wrapping her arm around Adrien's arm and pulling him to her.

“But brothers are closer than friends, so I win!” Nino responded, pulling Adrien to him.

“That's not fair! Adrien can be my brother too!”

“Ha, but we adopted him! So you'll have to stick with best friend!”

They started yelling, drawing the attention of the rest of the school. Alya leaned over to Marinette, who was perfectly content watching the situation go down.

“Should we stop them?”

“Nope, it's just getting good.”

She took a bite of her own macaron, glancing between Chloe and Nino. Ayla stayed quiet, watching as her boyfriend pulled Adrien towards him, trying to fend of Chloe with an eraser.

“Are you sure we shouldn't help?”

“If you want to help, the go ahead,” Marinette sighed.

“No way girl, you stop them.”

Marinette paused for a second, before tossing a confused look over to her bestie.

“Me? Why should I do it?”

“Duh, cuz you're Ladybug,” Alya said with a cheeky grin.

She opened her mouth to talk back when someone else had broke the argument between Chloe and Nino. They all immediately recognized the olive green eyes and brown hair.

“Oh, hey Lila,” Adrien said, still being held by the others, but was quickly released out of embarrassment. “What's up?”

“Oh nothing, just wanted to talk to Chloe about our science presentation.”

“Our what?” She asked, her face scrunched up in complete confusion. Lila sighed, waving a paper in her face, probably said project, since Chloe's eyes grew in horror. “Shit! Gotta go guys.”

Her and Lila ran off to the library, leaving Nino to shout to her “I win!” as she left. This earned him a short glare since Lila pulled her away.

“Man, Lila is so different now that Hawkmoth is behind bars. Alya said, swiping another macaron from Marinette.

“Speaking of Hawkmoth, he sent you another letter, right?” Nino asked Adrien. “Mom and dad said it came in yesterday.”

“He did.”

“What did it say?”

“No clue,” he chuckled. “I burned it as soon as got it. He can apologize and beg as much as he wants, it's not my job to forgive him.”

“Hell yeah! Let the man suffer!” Alya said, pumping her fist in the air. 

The continued to eat the macarons together, until a few minutes later when Adrien got a text.

“Mm, Kagami wants to show me the new fencing sword she got,” he said, mouth full. He stood up and dusted the crumbs off of himself and finished eating. “I'll be right back, she says it has really cool!”

“Adrien, can you ask her when she wants to meet up for a dress fitting,” Marinette asked. “I have the dress almost done, just want her to try it on.”

“Sure thing, and since you have Luka in your next class, tell him I have an idea for the next song in the band.”

“Okay!” She said, tossing him a macaron for Kagami. He caught it, saluting her as he left. She stretched her arms and turned to Alya. “So, I heard you have an interview with Nadia. Are you going to go with your miraculous?”

“Probably, it is going to be about Rena Rouge, might as well go in costume.”

They all sat down on the floor. Talking about random topics until the bell rang. After a quick study session after class, they all headed to band practice.

After their last performance, which was really shaken up after Adrien showed up in his Chat Noir suit because it cat related, they had to make the next show even better. And how much better can it get when they had every hero.

It was a long practice, though with so many sidetracks and a short, but tiresome game of truth or dare, they had a set plan for the next gig, involving many more lights and effects.

It did also help when Adrien told them about his song idea, which lead to everyone adding in their own ideas until it was a song of everyone's hard work. A new lead song.

This was a new life Adrien could get use to, surrounded by friends while doing what he loved. It felt like a dream most of the time. Constantly he felt as if he would go to sleep in his new home with Nino and wake up back in his old room, a prison in his life. But it never happened. He was always in the present, away from his father, and away from all the lies he was told. 

He was still Chat Noir, even if he didn't need to be. Though it had only been a year since he thought he was going to have to give up that title for good, it felt like a lifetime ago. 

Of course there were still reminders, like Gabriel's letters, or emails from medical professionals who were now monitoring his mother's condition to see if she could ever wake up, but they wouldn't be enough to hold him back. Not when he had so many wonderful people around him, so many who would know just what to say or do. Those he would do the same for.

For better or for worse, he put his past behind him, and with the help of others, he built his own future for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I won't have to worry about updating this fic anymore. It's kinda sad, but good cuz now i can move onto other fics. Hope everyone had a good time reading this!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this happened. I wasn't planning to write more than one chapter, but it happened. Idk when I'll write more. 
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


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